GUATEMALA CITY – U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday that Guatemala and Honduras have signed new agreements to accept asylum-seekers from other nations, offering them protection outside the United States. She said the deals are part of efforts to expand U.S. options for relocating migrants and reducing pressure on its asylum system.
Noem stated that these agreements had been in the works for months, with the U.S. government pressing both Central American nations to finalize them. “We’ve never believed that the U.S. should be the only safe option,” she said. “Refugees need safety, not necessarily within the United States.”
However, the announcements were quickly met with denials. Guatemala’s government said no such safe third-country agreement was signed during Noem’s visit. Instead, officials clarified that Guatemala would only act as a temporary stop for Central American migrants returning to their home countries, not as a place for them to apply for asylum.
In Honduras, immigration officials also rejected claims that an agreement had been signed. The country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry did not respond to requests for clarification. The confusion raised questions about the actual terms and implementation of the agreements Noem referenced.
Despite the conflicting messages, a memorandum of understanding was publicly signed in Guatemala, creating a Joint Security Program. This agreement allows U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents to help train Guatemalan officials at the capital’s airport in screening for terrorist threats.
The U.S. has similar arrangements with Canada, Panama, and Costa Rica, although the number of migrants sent to the latter two remains low. As the Biden-era agreements evolve under Trump’s renewed administration, the challenge remains balancing security, diplomacy, and humanitarian responsibility across the region.